Results from the past weekend were markedly different for Championship high-flyers, Leeds United, and former Premier League leaders, Tottenham Hotspur.
Daniel Farke took the Yorkshire-based side to leaders Leicester City, and a magnificent defensive performance laid the platform for a stunning 1-0 win in the Foxes backyard.
Despite taking the lead over London rivals Chelsea, injuries to James Maddison and Micky van de Ven and red cards for Cristian Romero and Destiny Udogie ultimately contributed to Spurs losing 4-1 to the Blues.
It’s still unclear how long van de Ven will be out for, and that’s prompted Turkish journalist, Suleymen Ozturk, to suggest a perfect replacement.
“(Pascal) Struijk had Jamie Vardy in his pocket on Friday evening,” he said to Dutch outlet Voetbalzone.
“He was very strong throughout the match, but also really decisive. I also thought he was very good in the build-up from behind.
“He is a complete and mature defender. Now that Micky van de Ven has been injured, I would like to give Ange Postecoglou some advice: Struijk can easily join the defence of Tottenham Hotspur.”
Certainly, Leeds have been very tight at the back this season, with just 15 goals conceded in their 15 Championship games so far.
Struijk will have been a major part of that, and to that end, one can assume that Farke would fight tooth and nail to keep hold of him should Tottenham or any other club come calling.
If it’s Premier League football that the 24-year-old desires, there’s every chance he can achieve it with his current employers if they continue with their upward trajectory under the German.
Were they to not make it back to the promised land at the first time of asking, then there might be a conversation for Struijk to have with his manager, but not before.
Pascal is Leeds. End of